The Burden
by Apples Who Dance With Oranges
Summary: As the war rages on a single psychologist is picked to study the mental state of the Clone Troopers throughout it. Overtime he examines the minds of the clones, taking notes of their behavior and how the war has effected them. Here is a collection of his time with different clones, a deep dive into their minds and digging deep into the pain the war has brought them.
1. Chapter 1: Slick

**Chapter One.**

The room was silent and the tension engulfed the two occupants the moment the doors closed. The small circular office was filled with data pad collections some old and others news, small ancient artifacts from the old days of the Republic littered several tables. At the far end of the room was a single metallic desk, a large window at its back that overlooked an endless sea of buildings. Closer towards the entrance was a small collection of fine furniture that sat upon a soft crimson rug, a wooden coffee table sat between the two sets of sofas made of fine Kashyyyk wood. Sitting upon the area were two men, one a Zabrak dressed in a professional business suit and the other a clone dressed in a prisoner's orange jumpsuit. The Zabrak like many of his species had horns the size of a finger nail lining the sides of his head and a collection of traditional tattoos that covered his cheeks. The clone however at first glance looked like any other trooper, however upon closer examination besides the way he cut his hair he had an unusual look in his eye, a look of anger and pain.

"I'm sorry about the chains." The Zabrak apologized as he motioned towards the handcuffs that kept the clone's hands and feet bidden, "The most I could do was have the guards wait outside the door."

The clone shook his head as he hissed lowly, "I've been in chains my whole life."

The Zabrak nodded as he adjusted in his seat, "I'm Doctor Rahn Kolper a psychologist picked by the Republic to examine you and your fellow Clone Troopers."

"Probably the ideas of those long necks." The clone groaned as he sat back, "Finding new ways to tinker with the minds of my brothers."

"As far as I know the Kaminaoians didn't come up with this idea." Rahn explained, his dark eyes watching the clone's body movement as he examined a look of frustration on his face. Placing the data pad he used to read up on his patients he slowly crossed his legs, hoping the gesture would put the clone at ease. Clearing his throat he gestured towards the clone to drink some water he had on the table if he was thirsty.

The clone snickered as he took a sip, "Plastic cups I guess the guards are afraid I'd use glasses cups to attack you."

Rahn shook with his with a soft chuckle, "Zabrak skin is very tough."

"Zabrak are good warriors from what I heard." Slick shrugged casually, "Surprised to see one working as a psychologist."

"I've read your report." Rahn chuckled, gesturing towards the data pad as he decided with introductions out of the way it was time to get to business.

"What lies did the Jedi put in there." The clone shook his head, he was more so making a harsh comment about his former commanders than asking a questioning.

"Sergeant Slick of the 212th Attack Battalion." Rahn began to read off the clone's profile by memory, "Veteran of the Battle of Christophsis and former platoon leader."

The clone known as Slick sat back as if it hurt hearing his former rank and unit, "Platoon leader turned traitor."

"Yes, it does go into detail about that." Rahn admitted, "You sold information about Republic activity on Christophsis."

"It wasn't about credits." Slick growled, as Rahn knew the clone sold out the Republic for a chance at freedom. Leaving that part out he wanted to see how the former sergeant would react to an open statement, allowing the clone to defend himself. From the report he saw that the Republic Intelligence believed he desired to join the Separatists instead of doing it for freedom. Kaminaoains scientist stepped in claiming their clones were programmed to be loyal soldiers, that none desired freedom from the Republic they were born to serve only the Republic. This led to Republic High Command's decision to label him as a Separatists spy, as it was easier to tell the senate that instead of admitting that a clone wanted a free life from being a soldier. As a statement like that would bring up discussions about how ethical an army of bred soldiers was and place their military operations at risk during the war.

"Freedom?" Rahn baited the clone.

Slick nodded a look of pride in his eyes flickered for a second before being replaced by anger once again, "I'm a living being I deserve the right to pick how I live."

"You feel as if the Republic treat your brothers unfairly?" Rahn asked, the first step of this session was so he could determine Slick's true motives. The Jedi were unsure if the clones were capable of desiring true freedom from the Republic or if the clone turned traitor was lying to cover up his motives. Unfortunately the Jedi were restricted from using the force to tap into his mind by the Chancellor as he feared the force may mess with any vital information, thus Rahn who had been selected to evaluate all clones was given the mission of dissecting the trooper's secrets.

"They breed us to fight for a Republic we'll never see." Slick argued, his muscles tensing up as he leaned forward. Rahn eyeballed the panic button secretly placed on his armrest, but in the back of his mind he dismissed the idea. Slick's breathing that was now intense slowly calmed down as he struggled to get a hold of himself, "We're expected to die for the freedom of people who don't even see us as humans."

"You feel as the Republic treat you differently than a human born soldier?" Rahn asked, examining Slick's body movement as the clone calmed himself and took another sip of water. Slick's hand shook slightly as he placed the glass down, his days of being locked up only made him angrier and more frustrated than before.

"Before Christophsis, before I was a platoon leader I saw a few small skirmishes about three in total." Slick explained, his mind drifting back before he was promoted to sergeant back when he had just been assigned as a corporal. He smiled weakly for a second as he was reminded of the first month of the war when his brothers and him were eager to get into the fight, "My first unit and I had a run in with a droid regiment while on a garrison mission in the Outer Rim."

Rahn examined his data pad, "On the moons of Hissrich?"

"Correct." Slick nodded as he reached back into his memories.

"Go on." Rahn motioned towards the clone, as he could see a hint of hesitation in his voice.

"A task force of Jedi were on the planet surface investigating Separatists activity. At the time the 212th hadn't been formed so my squad like most of the army back then were just floating around until an official unit was formed." Slick explained, as during the early days of the war official units were still be constructed with commanders finishing training and Jedi awaiting assignments. Slick sat back his heart racing as he was reminded of that battle, "The Jedi had informed us they had scanned that specific moon and determined it was unoccupied. My company had set up base and my squad was assigned garrison duty, a base in that sector would provide us with the ability to supply nearby sectors. Once we settled on the planet my squad was given the order for the first patrol around the western region of the moon"

"The battle report says it was an oversight by the Jedi scouts." Rahn added on, reading up on the small skirmish as the clone told his story.

"Oversight." Slick laughed harshly, "There was a whole droid regiment stationed on that moon and the Jedi somehow missed it! Their mission was so important they didn't scout properly and my whole company paid the price!"

"Sir, is everything alright?" A voice hissed over the com link.

Rahn quickly responded to the Coruscant Guard trooper who stood outside the room, "Everything is alright don't worry."

"Sorry." Slick apologized, cold sweat running down his face as he hadn't realized how loud he had gotten.

"Don't worry, raw emotion is good for sessions like these." Rahn welcomed the reaction, he would never make a patient feel ashamed for their feelings even one in chains. Rahn offered the clone another glass of water, "Please continue."

Slick gulped the water down his breathing still heavy, "The base was destroyed and my squad was stuck behind enemy lines."

"It says your squad put out a distress signal." Rahn added on, motioning for the clone to push the topic forward.

"That's corrected." Slick's hand shook slightly, "I was a corporal so I was squad leader and I realized we needed extraction right away."

Rahn nodded, "That was a good call."

"Not good enough apparently." Slick growled, "Our escort ship had decided the Jedi extraction took top priority and sent all their gunships to support their mission."

"All of them?" Rahn was slightly shocked, from what the mission report said the escort ship had three gun ships and they only required two for the amount of Jedi on the planet's surface.

"Command said the third gunship was fire support for the Jedi's extraction." Slick laughed, back then it wasn't funny but now as he wore chains he found the whole operation was a joke. Shaking his head he calmed down as he relived the final hour of the mission, "My squad held out three hours and by the time extraction showed up I was the only survivor."

"You got a medal for that." Rahn studied the after battle report.

Slick snickered, "Medals were always so weird to me."

Rahn tilted his head, "How so?"

"Medals are given to brave soldiers who go beyond the call of duty." Slick explained, "Giving a medal to a clone who has no choice other than to fight, it seems so weird."

Rahn chuckled softly as Slick had a point, "Seems rather patronizing."

"Exactly!" Slick laughed, as for a moment he nearly forgot he was a prisoner talking to a psychologist.

Rahn smiled as he knew by making Slick laugh he broke the first wall. Sitting back he relaxed a bit so Slick would open up more, "You hold the Jedi responsible for the death of your brothers?"

"How couldn't I?" Slick sighed, "I talked with the bridge crew after my rescue and found out it was Jedi General Windu's order for the three gunships."

"Did he know of the trouble on the moon?" Rahn asked, he was unsure if the Jedi were fully aware of the clone's situation.

Slick nodded, "From what I heard."

"Rumors can sometimes be misconstrued over passing." Rahn admitted, as he could tell Slick was slightly annoyed by this comment. Realizing he might loose the ground he had seized with the clone he changed subjects, "After that you were promoted to sergeant."

Slick nodded, "I was given a platoon and assigned to the newly formed 212th Attack Battalion."

"Must of felt weird being in a new unit without your old brothers." Rahn admitted, as Slick nodded slowly as he remembered feeling so out of place.

Slick shook off the feeling and returned Rahn with his only question, "What's the point of this all?"

Rahn sighed as he knew this question would be asked, "The Republic wants to know why you did what you did."

"I've told them already." Slick snapped annoyingly, "For freedom."

"I know and honestly I believe you." Rahn explained, "However they want me to ensure there were no other motives and this free thinking wasn't a defection in your cloning."

"Defection." Slick hissed, "They always blame it on defections."

Rahn nodded, "I don't believe your defective."

Slick looked down for a moment at his chained feet, "What happens once this investigation is over?"

"I'm unsure." Rahn admitted, his job was to examine the clone and nothing more.

Slick forced a low laugh, "I'm sure I'll be sent back to Kamino and be pulled apart for examination."

"Don't think that way." Rahn reassured him, he knew that was a possibility as he heard the cloners wanted to look into the clone's brain. They wanted to make sure nothing went wrong physically during the cloning, this idea made Rahn uncomfortable. Rahn shifted in his seat uncomfortably while Slick looked downwards, "If my report goes well I doubt they'll do that."

"No offense you're only a psychologist." Slick sighed, he knew Rahn had no pull within the Republic that would ensure his survival.

"I'm also a Captain in the Republic Army's Mental Health Division." Rahn admitted with a weak smile, "I don't wear my uniform while having sessions in my personal office as I feel like casual wear is more appropriate."

Slick was surprised, "So this isn't a fair trial then."

"I may work for the Republic Military, but I answer directly to the Chancellor and the Senate." Rahn explained, " My position as an officer is simply ceremonial as I don't lead any troops and I simply work as a liaison officer between the military and the senate."

"If we're going to be doing this for a bit, I should know more about you." Slick stated sternly, a part of him was drawing out time as the more sessions they had the longer he could avoid the end. He was also surprised to hear that Rahn was a military officer and felt slightly betrayed, he wanted for Rahn to open up a bit so he could feel like they were equals.

"Fair enough." Rahn admitted, as for most patients he wouldn't do this but Slick wasn't most patients. Sitting back more casually he realized this introduction could help Slick open up more, "I was born on Taris in a lower class family actually."

Slick was surprised as the luxurious officer said other wise, "I've heard Taris is nice."

"Nice for the upper class, but my family and I lived nears the slums." Rahn admitted, he was never embarrassed by his past and usually embraced it. Many senators were surprised to hear of his upbringing whenever he attended fancy parties, most assumed by his military uniform and fine suits that he had been a noble of some sorts. Rahn looked back at his childhood days, "My mother was a secretary for a shipping company and my dad was a butler for an estate."

"Any brothers?" Slick asked, hoping that the psychologist could connect with him on that level at least.

"Two brothers and one sister." Rahn admitted, "All younger so when I was just ten years old I started working with my father at the estate."

"A slave?" Slick asked.

"At times it felt like it, but we were paid." Rahn corrected him, "The estate owner was kind enough but the other nobles were not as kind to us."

Slick sighed, "The powerful look down on us all."

"Some of the nobles disliked non-humans and I remember while working their children called my many racist names." Rahn admitted shamefully, "They'd forced me to play in games of war and I'd be the villainous Zabrak blade master and they were Jedi Knights."

"Sounds like they were playing the villains." Slick chuckled softly as Rahn smiled at the memory, as a kid he hated the other kids but now as an adult he couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

"Overtime the estate owner took a liking to my family and offered me a spot at the Taris Academy." Rahn motioned towards his graduation medal on his desk, "Supporting a non-human like that increased his popularity with the non-humans during the governor election. However, I truly do believe a part of him did it out of the kindness of his heart."

"There's always a motive." Slick commented.

"In the end, the teachers tried to hold me back, but I graduated." Rahn proudly stated, "Due to their interference though I was near the lower tier of the graduation class and thus my best option for work was taking a commission with the military."

"So like me you were forced into the military due to others looking down on you." Slick stated, as Rahn knew this would allow the two to better interact in future sessions.

"In some ways." Rahn admitted.

Slick remembered his platoon for a moment, "What happened to your family?"

"Once I got my commission within a year I got the attention from the senate due to some programs I started." Rahn explained, "They requested a transfer to Coruscant and my only demand was that my family be housed in the top levels of the city."

"You did what was best for your broth- your family." Slick corrected himself, slightly embarrassed for a moment.

"They live a better life now, my mother hates the traffic but it's a small price for a healthier life." Rahn chuckled, as he noticed a hint of calmness and compassion in the eyes of the clone. Suddenly a small clock went off and almost as if they were anticipating it the two guards entered the room. Rahn sighed as he spent more time talking about himself than he had planned, but he knew this would help him with future sessions. Standing up he smiled warmly at the clone, "Same time next week?"

Slick hesitated as he stood up and began to be escorted out, "Of course."


	2. Chapter 2: Coric

**Chapter Two.**

"Sergeant Coric I'm glad you could make it." Rahn welcomed the veteran trooper, as the clone greeted the Zabrak with a firm handshake before taking a seat. His white armor was scorched from blaster fire and scarred from his time in the field, his helmet sat in his lap showing off his face. Coric had a completely shaved head and took the grooming standards very seriously as he didn't have a single hair on his face, running down his left eye was a scar which tended to draw attention. The clone shifted in his seat while trying to get comfortable, after spending so many weeks in the field and on board a star destroyer he found actual nice furniture hard to get comfortable on. Rahn watched as Coric finally got settled and offered the trooper some water with a wave of his hand, "I'm sure you're happy that the 501st Legion is taking some time off on Coruscant."

"I wish it was for other reasons." Coric admitted, "Although I'll be sure to get a few drinks at Bar 79."

Rahn nodded as he acknowledged the true reason of the unit's arrival, "You guys took a nasty beating at both Christophsis and Teth."

"Nasty is being gentle about it." Coric forced a rough laugh, "Torrent Company has only six members left including the Captain."

"Must of been rough considering your the company medic." Rahn stated, as he could tell Coric used humor and a deadpan tone to cover up his true feelings. Unlike Slick who showed his emotions within his eyes, Coric hid them behind a wall. Rahn assumed this was because the clone was uncomfortable with emotions or as a medic he felt it was his duty to be strong for the wounded, in the end it was his job to find out.

Coric nervously sipped the water, "Troopers fall in battle every day."

"Doesn't make it any easier." Rahn responded back quickly, he knew it would take a bit to tear down the sergeant's defenses.

"I do what I can, but I don't pick who the blasters hit." Coric explained, removing his helmet from his lap and placing in on the cushion beside him. Coris threw his hands at his side in a wide gesture, "I mean we were up against some crazy odds."

Rahn took note of this as Coric didn't have to add more to his short statement, "How so?"

"We had left one battle and were heading into another, so the men were exhausted. Next thing we know it we're scaling the side of a mountain! Once we capture the kriffing thing not only are we overwhelmed, but six of us are left and captured." Coric once again forced a laugh, as he threw his arms around creating a big show with his gestures. Exhaling loudly he shrugged and took a sip of his water, his eyes never left Rahn though.

"Six survivors." Rahn nodded slowly as he examined the report on his data pad, "Torrent Company is picking up a fresh batch of troopers today."

Coric groaned, "Yeah replacements straight out of training and a few other transfers from other units."

"You don't like replacements and transfers?" Rahn asked, as he noticed the tone in the sergeant's voice shift into a more annoyed pitch.

"Transfers aren't all bad, just gotta remind them they're not in their old unit." Coric explained, "But replacements are just so young."

Rahn took note of this, "Aren't majority of the active duty clones the same age if not only a few months apart."

"Young as far as experience goes." Coric corrected the Zabrak rather sternly, "They're so excited for a fight that most get themselves killed the first hour."

Rahn nodded as he watched the shift in the sergeant's gaze as it was the first time he looked away, "You don't like it when your brothers get injured?"

"Of course not." Coric exhaled loudly squeezing the bridge of his nose.

"Even the replacements." Rahn pushed forward.

Coric shook his head, "I see what you're getting at."

"Then let me get at it." Rahn responded back right away, "You can make all the jokes you want with your men but here you don't need to put up a wall."

Coric eyeballed his water as he moved it around, "The men depend on me as a sergeant and a medic."

"That's why you're here." Rahn explained, as he shifted forward so he could make direct eye contact with the clone. Nodding slowly he smiled, "Your Captain is worried about you and he needs you in tip top shape. You're his right hand man and the only way you can get the job done is if you let yourself heal."

Coric nodded slowly after a minute of silence, "The replacements might just barely be younger than me but they feel like my younger brothers."

Rahn smiled as he knew bringing up his duty to his captain would convince Coric to open up, "You feel the need to protect them."

"My job as a medic is to patch them up when they're hurt." Coric explained, his eyes wider than usual as his speech picked up slightly quicker. Gulping lowly he looked up from the ground and returned the gaze with the Zabrak, "But my job as a sergeant is to keep them from getting hit."

"Very conflicting sense of duties." Rahn admitted, as he was happy he finally found the source of the clone's pain. The doctor was surprised though how fast Coric opened up, he expected the clone to be more forceful with his wall separating him from his emotions. Yet, if the sergeant gave up this quickly than the pain he felt must of been very deep. Rahn crossed his legs as he sighed lowly, "Earlier you said you don't pick who the blasters hit."

"Not even Jedi can do that." Coric released a weak chuckle.

"Picking who gets hit isn't your job, so why worry about that." Rahn explained, as he could see a confused look take over the sergeant's face. Rahn leaned forward again placing his data pad on the table, "You're stressing over events you have no control of."

Coric looked to the side as he though about it, "I get that."

"Than why stress over it?" Rahn asked, trying to dive into the mind of the sergeant.

Coric growled out of frustration, "Because I hate not being in control of the lives of my brothers."

Rahn forced back a smile, "You hate the feeling that your brothers fall in combat and you can't prevent it."

"Yes." Coric shamefully admitted.

"You hate that replacements are so eager to rush into battle, but tend to die first." Rahn added on.

"Yes." Coric hissed.

"You hate that for every brother who dies you feel responsible." Rahn sighed, as he could see that was enough and he got the reaction he needed from the sergeant.

"Yes!" Coric shouted, his hands shaking as his breathing became heavy.

Rahn nodded as he placed his hand on the trooper's knee, the contact calming the trooper enough that he could control himself. The Zabrak smiled as he pulled his hand back, "Is this the first time you've admitted any of that?"

Coric nodded, "Of course."

"Feels good?" Rahn asked.

"Yeah." Coric smiled softly, "I feel comfortable here but with the men I gotta look strong."

Rahn smiled as he clasped his hands together, "No matter how strong you are everyone needs to release their emotions every once and a while."

"Even the Jedi?" Coric asked, grinning as he knew he was making a joke.

"They're an unusual case." Rahn chuckled, waving his hands in defense.

"So now what?" Coric chuckled loudly as he sat back, "Do you magically heal me now?"

"Unfortunately it's not that simple." Rahn admitted, chuckling softly as he was glad that Coric had returned to his usual style of humor after such a emotional break through.

Coric ran his hands over his shaved head, "Were you trying to piss me off on purpose?"

"Just a little bit." Rahn snickered, "I realized it was my best way to get you to open up. You had a wall blocking a wave of emotions and you don't seem like the type to hold a grudge, not a textbook psychology tactic but it works sometimes."

Coric nodded with a soft smile, "So now what?"

"It takes time to properly heal." Rahn admitted, "However you've opened up a lot."

Coric looked down for a second as he allowed himself to open up further, "I lost a good brother at Teth."

"Go on." Rahn encouraged the clone, he was expecting for Coric to end the session there but was surprised the clone was pushing forward.

"Sergeant Hez." Coric threw his head back as he stared up at the ceiling, "He was actually one of my batch brothers and a good friend."

Rahn nodded as he had studied clone lingo and understood what a batch brother was, "I'm very sorry."

"Hez was a good trooper, always taking point and rarely missing a shot." Coric smiled as he remembered their training days, "Before graduation he almost got washed back because another clone was talking down on our squad."

"What did Hez do?" Rahn asked, amused by the story as Coric sat up already laughing.

"Hez waited until the clone was on sentry duty on the outer pad." Coric laughed, using his fingers to act out the story. Rahn smiled as Coric dived deep into his emotions once again showing great progression, "The damn idiot jumped at that cocky clone and threw him into a headlock."

"Wow." Rahn chuckled, amused by Coric's usage of hand puppets.

"Scared that clone so badly he nearly pissed his training suit!" Coric laughed, slapping his knee as he almost fell over. Coric's laughter slowly died down, "He never messed with us again and he was so afraid of Hez he never reported him."

Rahn chuckled softly as he knew it was his job to dive further though, "How did he die?"

"Damn doc." Coric forced a chuckle, but replaced it with a heavy sigh as he knew it was a necessary question. Rubbing the top of his head he looked down at the ground, "Poor guy took a blaster to the chest by a spider droid."

"Must of been rough for you as a medic." Rahn sighed, as he could see the pain in Coric's eyes.

"Died right away." Coric admitted, "Tough as both a medic and a brother."

Rahn knew it was a cliche but he pulled it, "There was nothing you could of done."

"I know." Coric whimpered lowly, ever since that day he hated himself for not saving his brother. He wished he could go back in time and warn Hez about the droid. His mind shifted back towards that day, there was so much chaos and blaster fire he didn't even notice that Hez was exposed. Across the hall he was just a few feet from his brother, but it felt so far when that blaster canon went off and the lifeless body of his brother hit the ground. Coric had seen many of his brothers die, but the sound of Hez's body echoing throughout the hall even with all the blaster fire going off would always stick with him forever.

"I saw in the report that your leadership helped the six survivors stay alive." Rahn interrupted, as he could see the pain in Coric's eyes. Rahn motioned towards Coric to look up, "Your Captain said you were an essential part in the survival of Torrent Company."

Coric nodded, "Yeah the boys keep telling me that."

"Then maybe for once you should listen to them." Rahn stated sternly, "You did your job as both a sergeant and a medic perfectly."

Coric sat up weakly as for the first time he felt like he was ready to agree, "I did my best."

"That's all you can do while under fire." Rahn encouraged the clone.

"I feel better." Coric admitted, standing up proudly. They both knew he had a long road until recovery, but for the first time Coric could look himself in the mirror and be proud. It was his job to be true to himself and be strong for his men, especially the new replacements.

Rahn chuckled as he stood up, "Good."

"I should get back to the unit." Coric checked the time on his wrist gauntlet, "I should help Captain Rex greet the shinies."

"I'm glad you're ready." Rahn smiled happily, as the sergeant grabbed his helmet and made his way towards the door.

Looking over his shoulder Coric said one last thing before leaving, "If drinking with your patience is allowed the boys and I will be at Bar 79 tonight."


	3. Chapter 3: Domino Squad

**Chapter One.**

Rahn exhaled loudly as he made his way down one of many halls within the training facility on Kamino. His gray officer uniform clashed with the bright white halls of the grand facility. A look of discomfort displayed on the Zabrak's face as he rarely wore the uniform, especially not when surrounded by so many military personnel. He slowly rolled his right wrist as the constant return of salutes to lower ranking troopers had agitated it, a smirk creeping upon him face as even hours of typing reports didn't even do that. Reaching the end of the hall and his temporary assigned office he inhaled loudly, while he wasn't always the biggest fan of long distance business trips this was one he was eager about. Ever since he was assigned as the psychologist that would be evaluating the clones he had yet stepped foot on their home world. He had heard stories, but had yet seen the cloning facilities or even seen the troopers at their younger stage. After a couple days of touring the facility he was granted a single session with a newly graduated training squad before they depart. However, from what he had read these clones weren't like the other squads. One of their instructors called them undisciplined failures while the other reserved a sense of hope in their untapped potential. Regardless of their personal opinions of the clones the squad had graduated earlier today, showing great potential and teamwork. Inhaling deeply he made sure his rank insignia was straight and puffed his chest out, even after several years in the military the uniform always felt so foreign.

"Squad attention!" A voice rang loudly, as the doors hissed alive and in the bland white room stood five clones. Dressed in their training fatigues and all of them sporting the basic standard haircut of a trooper. Their posture was impressive and they all puffed their chests out with pride, Rahn gestured for them to be at ease and take a seat. The Zabrak sighing lowly as he joined the clones in sitting in the unusually uncomfortable circular chairs, just from looking at the clones he could tell at least two of them were uncomfortable by his rank displayed on his chest.

Rahn cleared his throat lowly, "No worries you men aren't in trouble or anything."

"That's a relief." One muttered, running his hand across his forehead.

"Your instructor didn't tell you why you're here?' Rahn asked slightly surprised.

"He tells us nothing." One clone responded rather sternly, a look of annoyance mixed with pride displayed on his face.

"Then he gets mad when we don't don't know things." Another clone snickered, this one had a rather unusual accent compared to most clones. Rahn took note of this and assumed it was a slight defect in his cloning process, regardless the Zabrak liked it as it made the clone different.

"So you boys are Domino Squad." Rahn smiled warmly, gesturing with his hands towards the five cadets.

"The one and only." Another trooper responded, a hint of embarrassment and pride mixed within his voice.

Rahn nodded as he took note of their expressions, "Why not introduce yourselves then."

"I'm CT-1409, sir." One clone snapped out firmly, his days of training paying off as his personal introduction was firm and assertive.

"Please I'm not one of your normal officers, all ranks off this is a relaxed environment." Rahn chuckled as he waved his hand for a more casual environment, "You boys got nicknames?"

"I'm Fives and that's Echo." A trooper spoke up, motioning towards the clone who had just spoken up.

"Don't mind protocol over there, if he spent less time reading and more training we'd be ARC Troopers by now." Another trooper laughed as he playfully nudged the clone with the accent, "I'm Hevy."

"The names Cutup, I'm kinda the leader around here." The clone with the accent laughed, playfully flexing his arm as it was obviously a joke. The Zabrak shifted his eyes towards the last clone and as if he spotted this Cutup roughly wrapped his arm around the last clone, "Mister talkative is named Droidbait."

"Droidbait?" Rahn repeated, his tone curious and yet hurt for the poor clone with the unusual name.

Hevy shook his head, "Use to always gets hit first."

"I'm guessing you gave him that name?" Rahn asked, curious of the origin.

Hevy shrugged casually, "Called him that in training once and it stuck."

"So I reviewed your old training records before this session." Rahn explained, as he was rather surprised from what he found. One of the lowest ranked squads in their training course and yet their final test had some of the most impressive remarks. The squad went from disorganized and transformed into a well oiled war machine, becoming creative thinkers under fire and working together. Rahn couldn't deny they seemed like an interesting group.

Fives chuckled softly, "Not the most impressive records."

"The start seemed rough." Rahn laughed softly, "However it's the ending that really counts sometimes."

Cutup grinned wide, "We graduated regardless."

"Barely." Droidbait corrected him, sighing as he was simply happy the training was over.

Rahn chuckled as he was glad the environment was more casual, this wasn't his usual type of session as he was simply here to study the young clones. He wanted to meet newly graduated cadets and possibly even meet them again down the line. He wanted to see the effects that combat had and a group like these five seemed perfect candidates. Once the bottom of their class they not only graduated on their final try, but they did it such a creative way they Rahn was sure they'd flourish in real combat. Nodding as the clones bickered for a bit he pulled up their newest assignment, "Your squad got orders for the Rishi Moon Outpost?"

"Correct." Fives responded proudly, he knew it wasn't the most exciting outpost but he was ready to do his part.

Echo smiled happily, "It'll give us time to catch up on regulations so we can be ready for real orders."

Hevy groaned annoyingly, "Can't you see they're sidelining us."

"He'll never understand." Cutup snickered lowly.

"I agree." Droidbait surprisingly agreed with Hevy, "We finally prove we're ready and they give us garrison duty over being assigned to an actual unit."

"Even Droidbait sees it!" Hevy laughed as he threw his arms down, "The 41st is docked here for the next few days and they won't even assign us to that unit."

"The 41st Elite Corps doesn't just take anyone." Echo corrected him, Rahn taking note of the clone's logical and by the book thinking.

"We just need to do our time on Rishi and in a few months they'll assign us a real unit." Fives nodded in agreement, as Rahn took note that the two of them seemed to stick together.

Cutup chuckled as he playfully slapped Hevy on the shoulder, "By that time the war will be over."

Hevy groaned out of frustration, "I was bred to blast clankers."

"You feel like your talents are wasted on Rishi?" Rahn asked curiously, as he thought it was interesting that Domino Squad was so different in so many ways. Fives saw an opportunity to serve as a honor, Echo was by the books so he'd never argue orders, Hevy was a straightforward fighter, Cutup seemed to enjoy stirring the pot, and Droidbait seemed like he wanted to be useful to make up for the past.

"Assign someone from the support division for that type of job." Hevy groaned, annoyingly folding his arms as he rolled his eyes.

Fives sighed slightly defeated, "I can't argue that men from the intelligence or maintenance divisions could do the job just as easily."

"If not better." Cutup added on, playfully pointing at the hot headed Hevy implying the clone was incapable of that type of work.

"Echo, Droidbait." Rahn turned his attention towards the more reserved members of the squad, "Do you feel like your talents are being wasted."

Echo was hesitant for a moment, "Not at all."

"Be honest, remember rank is off here." Rahn reminded him.

Echo looked uncomfortable as this was obviously his first time breaking what he saw as protocol, "I do feel like the training instructors placed us on garrison duty on purpose."

"Maybe they think we're not combat ready and they think garrison duty with mature us." Droidbait added on, his eyes shamefully glaring at the ground. Looking up he noticed the Zabrak was watching him carefully, "I just want to feel useful."

Hevy seemed surprised by the comment, as it was obvious the squad never talked about their feelings. A look of regret filled his face as he realized his constant teasing might of effected his squad mate. Swallowing hard Rahn was surprised as it seemed Hevy was about to break out of his comfort zone, "You were pretty helpful on that final exam."

"You exposed yourself for us." Fives took his lead, "If you hadn't done that we'd never be able to get clear shots at the gun placements."

"Acted like real Droidbait drawing their fire." Cutup laughed, roughly shaking the clone who couldn't help and smile.

Rahn smiled as no matter how unusual this squad was they all cared for each other, "I don't doubt after Rishi you five will get to see some real action."

"Until then we use that time on garrison to train." Five encouraged the squad.

Cutup chuckled harshly, "Hevy can maybe try out meditating to calm his anger."

"Always the comedian I see." Rahn chuckled, "Every group needs one."

"We got Echo the brains, Hevy the muscle, Cutup the comedian, and Droidbait the peacekeeper." Fives chuckled, a hint of humor in his voice as it was obvious this wasn't the squad he expected when he was first cloned. Fives came off to Rahn as a level headed trooper who carried a little of each clone inside of him. He seemed intelligent enough, strong enough, had a few jokes, and cared for his brothers.

"What about you Fives?" Rahn asked, tilting his head out of curiosity.

Fives chuckled as he had no desire to dive deep into his emotions on such a casual session, "I'm the ARC Trooper of course."

"Get out of here!" Cutup laughed loudly.

Hevy shook his head, "In your dreams!"

"I hate to interrupt, but we need to get moving." Echo called out, reminding his squad of the time.

Rahn smiled as the l,ones all groaned annoyingly, "It was a pleasure meeting you Domino Squad."

"Same, hopefully we see you again." Droidbait smiled warmly as he walked out.

Rahn nodded as he called back, "I will plan another session after you boys leave Rishi!"

"Hopefully we progress enough for you." Fives smiled, as he shook the Zabrak's hand.

"Captain." Echo nodded sternly, following Fives out of the room.

"First time talking to a Zabrak." Cutup chuckled as he padded the doctor on his shoulder, "You were a lot nicer than I expected."

"Keep the jokes up Cutup." Rahn smiled, "The squad will need them."

"Well doc." Hevy grunted as he got up with a grin, "Next time you see me I'll be a war hero."

Rahn chuckled as they shook hands, "I look forward to seeing that."

"Maybe even an ARC Trooper." Hevy shrugged, as the clone playfully flexed his muscles before leaving with Cutup.


	4. Chapter 4: Thire, Rys, and Jek

**Chapter Four.**

The early morning sun pierced through the large window and rained warmth upon the luxurious office, the four occupants that occupied the sofas across the room enjoying the comfort it brought. Sitting in his usual chair was Rahn his right leg resting upon his left with his usual data pad in his lap. Sitting across from him were three armored clone troopers with their helmets resting on the table, their armor marked with the crimson colors of the Coruscant Guard. Rahn was slightly amused as this was an unusual situation, the last time the guard paid him a visit they were escorting Slick. After his meeting with many troopers who fought as infantrymen at the front, he felt it would be interesting to meet with the clones tasked with guarding the capital of the Republic and escorting political figures. The Zabrak couldn't deny this would be an interesting session as not only could he speak with the clones tasked with protecting the planet, but from what he saw in the report they all had an interesting experienced with the Grand Master of the Jedi Order himself.

"I guess I should start off with a proper congratulations on the promotions." Rahn started off, he smiled happily upon the three clones. Of the three the one leading the operation was Lieutenant Thire and upon completion, his team had ensured an alliance that would help the Republic war effort. Due to their part on the mission Thire had recommended both his troopers for promotions, thus both Jek and Rys were promoted to the rank of Corporal. The two troopers had faced some difficult odds on the mission and kept cool heads while facing a large enemy force with no hope of backup. This type of performance was something the Republic rewarded within their army.

"Appreciate it." Rys grinned proudly, "However it's the lieutenant who deserves a promotion."

Thire chuckled lightly, "I appreciate it corporal."

"From what I heard there's talk of you being bumped up to Captain." Rahn hinted, as the two corporals grinned at hearing this. The young officer smiled almost embarrassed by the rumors of his possible promotion, besides the most recent mission he had seen little action and yet leadership spoke about him as if he could be a future candidate for commander. Rahn chuckled as he could tell Thire was a humble leader, "I'm sure it'll get approved."

Thire nodded with a smile, "Commander Stone keeps on telling me the same thing."

"You deserve it Lieutenant, you're tough." Jek simply put it, as Rahn took note that the clone seemed to be a man of few words but great actions.

"Jek is right." Rys agreed, "Even while wounded you kept pushing forward."

Rahn smiled as he felt the three clones who sat before him were different than the clones he met in the past. He could tell they held themselves at a higher stand as members of the Coruscant Guard, but more importantly as members of the division's Diplomatic Escort Group. While not patrolling the streets of the capital these clones spent most of their time acting as bodyguards for senators and other members of the Republic. They were expected to act a certain way and puff their chest out at all times, on top of that their training ensured their skills matched the duty. Looking into their medical records he saw no hint of conflict or stress caused by combat, which interested the Zabrak. As far as he was aware of the cloning process was the same for all clones, but it seemed these members of the Coruscant Guard showed no hesitation or doubt in their service. Rahn was unsure if it was due to their training or maybe it was due to the nature of the work they were in. They weren't directly fighting in the war, but more so they were protecting the senators and Jedi who were trying to end the war. Rahn had scheduled this session for that exact reason, he wanted to know what set these troopers apart from your average infantryman. He was curious if it was simply a mental thing or if there were genetically different from other clones.

"I appreciate it, corporals." Thire responded proudly, turning his attention towards the Zabrak he noticed that he was carefully studying how the three interacted. Unsure if this was apart of his leadership testing if he was captain worthy or if it was a simple mental evaluation. Thire nodded firmly as he decided to go along with the process, knowing he was ready for the promotion and that his men didn't need mental evaluations. Fixing his posture he deepened his voice, "As you can tell my men are solid troopers. They show no sign of stress and preform their duty as guardsmen with pride, honestly I believe these two specifically are possibly the finest troopers in this army."

Rahn nodded smiling as it was rare to find an officer like Thire among his non-clone counterparts. Most military officers simply used their enlisted men as pawns for their political games, doing anything for a promotion and an opportunity for more power. It was the many reasons why he disliked being an officer, but being one allowed him this rare opportunity to help others. Waving his hand so the officer could be at ease he smiled, "This is in no way an evaluation of your mental states."

Thire raised an eyebrow out of curiosity, "Then what is this?"

"I spent most my time on Coruscant and yet I haven't been able to speak with any of the guardsmen." Rahn admitted, rubbing the back of his neck as he was slightly embarrassed. Sighing lightly as he saw the three clone become more relaxed upon hearing this he chuckled, "I requested to speak with you three for two reasons. One from what I've seen you're all excellent troopers and I noticed that you worked directly with Grand Master Yoda."

Rys rubbed his chin as he thought, "You're curious about what us Coruscant Guard clones are made of and what was our experience with the General?"

"Exactly!" Rahn rewarded the clone with praise, playfully clapping at his evaluation. Rys had the standard haircut that most clones kept, but running down the sides of his neck and ending at the back of his jawline was an interesting tattoo. From the report it seemed Master Yoda had spoken with the clone, advising the clone that he should focus less on the enemy, instead more on himself and the men around him.

Jek chuckled roughly, "The General is interesting."

"That's what I've heard." Rahn chuckled, as from what he had seen Jek was a clone of few words and preferred his blasters did most the talking. Jek preferred to keep his head cleanly shaved and had an unusual tattoo on the back of his neck, Rahn unfortunately was unable to get a proper look at it. Examining the trio for a moment the Zabrak decided to get a feeling of how the Jedi had changed them, "So how did Master Yoda effect you men as soldiers?"

Being the higher ranking Thire took the lead, "I feel as if he enlightened us in a way."

Rahn took interest in this, "Care to elaborate?"

"Well as members of the Diplomatic Escort Group we're always in the company of senators and nobles." Thire explained, "We're just numbers to most of them. As far as they're concerned we could be security droids and they would treat us the same. Some treat us with differently though, but as far as they're concerned our only duty is their protection and our lives are simply a factor in protecting them."

Rys jumped in, "Which they're not wrong of course."

"Correct." Thire agreed, "As escorts we are fully prepared to give our lives for the safety of political officials of the Republic."

"Jek do you agree?" Rahn asked, as he expected the hardheaded heavy weapons type trooper would have some words to share against this type of thought process.

"Of course." Jek nodded, "There's honor in service."

Rahn was slightly surprised as he expected a soldier like Jek would oppose such a thought, he imagined a soldier like Jek would share a similar personality to Hevy. As a leader Rahn expected Thire to be more of an individual thinker, which he was but the Zabrak nearly expected a level of open minded thinking like Slick or Coric who were both leaders. He was also taken back slightly by how quickly Rys jumped forward defending the senator's rather inappropriate treatment, he had pinned the well behaved troopers to be similar towards the likes of Fives or Echo. Rahn sat in silence for a moment as it wasn't often he was wrong with his assumptions, however not only did this prove that while the cloning process was the same for every clone it also proved that not ever clone were so similar. A smile developed on his face as he realized that members of the guard were still an unusual bunch, unlike their brothers who had no problem rolling their eyes and making snarky remarks towards their leadership. These three clones shared no hurt feelings towards the senators, a hardheaded trooper like Jek even saw honor in giving his life to save one of them. One might assume this behavior was almost droid like, but these clones also showed personality and proved they could grow as Master Yoda had an effect of them. Rahn made a mental note of this, how the clones within the guard were conditioned on a more professional level than front line troopers. It was rare for Rahn to be wrong, but in this case he welcomed the idea. The Zabrak enjoyed discovering such things as it led to many open doors.

Rys shifted in his seat, "Are you alright sir?'

"Of course, just taken back by how professional you men are." Rahn explained, as Thire smiled proudly at his men. Deciding to get back on topic he cleared his throat, "So you believe that Master Yoda might of helped you men become better soldiers?"

"He reminded us that while we might of been bred the same way, that we're just as human as any other person within the Republic." Thire explained, as even if they all shared the same face they were still individuals. That was something he tended to forget while being surrounded by senators of so many different species, dressed in such luxurious outfits to stand out.

Rys nodded in agreement, "He reminded me that sometimes I need to focus on myself instead of the enemy."

Jek chuckled roughly, "My mind can be a weapon apparently."

Rahn smiled as he could tell that Master Yoda had won the respect of these clones, "All three of you are very interesting."

"We appreciate that." Thire thanked him, it was true that they were trained to deal with politicians. However, the lieutenant couldn't deny it was nice to hear a compliment every once and a while.

Rahn decided to dig further, he knew every clone was born to serve but he wondered if these guardsmen had any deeper desire. Focusing on Rys first he folded his arms, "Do you men have any goals or aspirations?"

Rys was slightly surprised, "Like future plans?"

"Correct." Rahn nodded.

"Maybe make sergeant." Rys shrugged, unsure of how to answer. He was looking into himself more and more ever since his mission with Master Yoda, however this was one thing he never thought about.

Thire looked conflicted by the question, "Our future is with the Republic."

Rahn tilted his head curiously, "What if you could have a future outside of the Republic?"

"I guess." Thire paused for a moment, "I'd stay."

"No dreams of a simpler life?" Rahn asked, as he was starting to see how these three guardsmen might differ from a trooper like Slick.

"We were bred to serve." Jek interjected, "It might not be a luxurious life compared to the people we protected, but it's a life we understand. I'd give nothing up for all of this, fighting alongside men who are like me. Brothers who care for me as much as I care for them, I love blasting droids with my brothers and I love the time we spend together. I see these senators enjoy their fine meals and their colorful silks, but I'd take this life over that any day."

Rahn was surprised by the sudden outburst of emotion from the rather simple trooper, "Very well said Jek."

Thire looked proud, "Well said corporal."

"All clones are born the same way and some might wish for a better life." Rys explained as he looked out the window, "But us guardsmen we love the work we do."

Rahn nodded as he hadn't expected gathering so much information. While these clones were loyal to the Republic without a fault, they showed the ability to learn and grow. It was interesting how similar to front line clones they were, but how different they were at the same time. Exhaling loudly he realized how much time had passed, "Unfortunately we're out of time."

"It's a real shame." Thire exhaled as he got up, "I'm sure we'll see you again though."

Rahn nodded happily, "You men spend a lot of time around here after all."

Rys chuckled, "While not of escort duty we'll make sure to stop by."

"It was interesting." Jek simply stated, as the three clones left the officer leaving a rather surprised Zabrak who needed some time to look over his notes.


End file.
